An endoscope includes: an operation portion provided continuously with a proximal end of a rigid insertion portion having a longitudinal axis; an optical element disposed at a distal end part of the insertion portion so as to be rotationally movable around a first shaft perpendicular to the longitudinal axis and a second shaft parallel to the longitudinal axis; a single operation member disposed at the operation portion and swingable forward, backward, leftward, and rightward around a third shaft and a fourth shaft perpendicular to each other; a first transmission member that transmits a rotational force around the first shaft to the optical element by a tilting operation of the operation member around the third shaft; and a second transmission member that transmits a rotational force around the second shaft to the optical element by a tilting operation of the operation member around the fourth shaft.
Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
1. An endoscope comprising: a rigid insertion portion having a first axis; an operation portion provided continuously with a proximal end of the insertion portion; a first shaft provided at a distal end part of the insertion portion so as to be perpendicular to the first axis; an optical element disposed so as to be rotationally movable around both the first shaft and a second axis parallel to the first axis to change a direction of view of the optical element upward, downward, leftward, and rightward; a second shaft which is disposed at the operation portion and which is perpendicular to the second axis; a single operation member configured to be able to swing forward, backward, leftward, and rightward around the second shaft and the second axis; a first transmission member to which the optical element and the operation member are connected, the first transmission member being configured to transmit a rotational force around the first shaft to the optical element by a tilting operation of the operation member around the second shaft; and a second transmission member including a distal end part at which the optical element is rotatably disposed relative to the first shaft, the second transmission member further including a proximal end part rotatably disposed relative to the operation member such that the second transmission member transmits a rotational force around the second axis to the optical element by a tilting operation of the operation member around the second axis.
2. The endoscope according to claim 1 , wherein the first shaft around which the optical element is rotationally movable and the second shaft around which the operation member is tilted are parallel to each other.
3. The endoscope according to claim 1 , wherein, when the operation member is tilted forward around the second shaft, the first transmission member is moved backward and the optical element is rotationally moved downward around the first shaft, to cause the direction of view of the optical element to be changed downward, and when the operation member is tilted backward around the second shaft, the first transmission member is moved forward and the optical element is rotationally moved upward around the first shaft, to cause the direction of view of the optical element to be changed upward.
4. The endoscope according to claim 1 , wherein, when the operation member is tilted forward around the second shaft, the first transmission member is moved forward and the optical element is rotationally moved upward around the first shaft, to cause the direction of view of the optical element to be changed upward, and when the operation member is tilted backward around the second shaft, the first transmission member is moved backward and the optical element is rotationally moved downward around the first shaft, to cause the direction of view of the optical element to be changed downward.
5. The endoscope according to claim 1 , wherein, when the operation member is tilted leftward around the second axis, the second transmission member is rotationally moved leftward and the optical element is rotationally moved leftward around a photographing optical axis, to cause the direction of view of the optical element to be changed rightward, and when the operation member is tilted rightward around the second axis, the second transmission member is rotationally moved rightward and the optical element is rotationally moved rightward around the photographing optical axis, to cause the direction of view of the optical element to be changed leftward.
6. The endoscope according to claim 1 , wherein, when the operation member is tilted leftward around the second axis, the second transmission member is rotationally moved rightward and the optical element is rotationally moved rightward around a photographing optical axis, to cause the direction of view of the optical element to be changed leftward, and when the operation member is tilted rightward around the second axis, the second transmission member is rotationally moved leftward and the optical element is rotationally moved leftward around the photographing optical axis, to cause the direction of view of the optical element to be changed rightward.
7. The endoscope according to claim 1 , wherein the first transmission member is a rigid transmission rod.
8. The endoscope according to claim 1 , wherein the first transmission member is a transmission wire.
9. The endoscope according to claim 1 , wherein the first axis and the second axis are coaxial with each other.
Cooperative Patent Classification codes for this invention. Click any code to explore related patents in that topic.
July 25, 2016
November 21, 2017
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